Pillow with Cylindrical Neck Support

ABSTRACT

A pillow for a human being with a cylindrical neck and shoulder support that conforms to the user&#39;s anatomy to promote alignment and support healthy sleep and rest with added comfort and superior support.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The pillow has existed in one form or another since the beginning ofrecorded history. Traditionally, the purpose of the pillow is to elevatethe head of a human being during the act of sleep or rest. While the artin the field of pillows is highly established, most pillows exist tosupport the head and in very limited instances the neck. Additionally,recent advances in the art of pillows included designs to allow the userto sleep on the side, addressing the problem of balancing firmness andcomfort with the obstruction of the mouth and nose that could restrictbreathing during sleep.

Currently there is a district absence in the art of a pillow that offerssupport for the head, neck and shoulders while allowing properpositioning for breathing. There is a need for a universal pillow thatallows a user to sleep in any position, including but not limited toback, side and stomach positions, without obstructing breathing andproviding adequate support for the entire upper body to help the userachieve optimum health in sleep. Furthermore, many users adjust thepreferred sleep position during the act of sleeping, requiring a pillowthat is optimized to perform at any position at any time without havingto stop and adjust the pillow, such as by adjusting air pressure in aninflatable pillow.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a multi-sectional pillow with varying firmnessin the different sections of the pillow that support the head, neck andshoulders. In the preferred embodiment, the area of the pillow thatsupports the shoulders and neck is in the shape of a cylinder andconstructed from a material with a high degree of firmness, in varyingembodiments, the pillow can be constructed with differing degrees offirmness in both the neck and shoulder supporting cylinder area as wellas the area typically used to support the head. In the preferredembodiment, the area of the pillow that supports the head is constructedof a material consisting of a lesser degree of firmness than that of theshoulder and neck supporting cylinder. Additionally, in the preferredembodiment, the shoulder and neck supporting cylinder of the pillow inaddition to surrounding material naturally forms a convex shape tomirror the curves of the typical human being in the side or backsleeping positions.

The cylindrical shape of the shoulder and neck area of the pillow,coupled with the increased degree of firmness in this area, providessupport to the user as to limit the user's need to move and repositionthroughout the sleeping process. The pillow is also able be constructedwith varying degrees of firmness in the area typically used to supportthe head area. This allows a user to have a pillow of any degree offirmness, from the typical soft to firm, so that the area of the pillowthat supports the head essentially mimics the firmness currentlyavailable in existing pillows. For example, if a user prefers a veryfirm pillow, then can have the present invention with a degree offirmness comparable to traditional firm pillow in the area of theinvention that supports the head. To provide adequate support, in thepreferred embodiment would have less variation in the degree of firmnessin the areas of the pillow supporting the neck and shoulders.

In the preferred embodiment, the pillow is constructed as one piece. Inalternative embodiments, the area of the invention that supports thehead of the user can be constructed with additional varying “fills”ranging from synthetic materials to natural fibers and/or othermaterials, such as down or feathers, as is typically used in otherpillows currently available in the art to provide additional supportand/or comfort. The shoulder and neck supporting areas of the pillowprovide the base of support and alignment for the user. The uniformconstruction, whether one-piece as in the preferred embodiment, ormulti-piece that is secured during the manufacturing process, ensuresthat the user's head, neck and shoulders are properly aligned andsupported throughout the sleep process.

In the preferred embodiment, the portion of the invention that supportsthe shoulder and neck sits flush with internal pillow stuffing, with theoverhead view of the pillow having a rectangular shape. In analternative embodiment, the cylindrical neck and shoulder supportportion of the pillow is permanently attached and positioned at themid-lower portion of the top face of the pillow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is the alternative embodiment of the invention shown from above.The neck and shoulder cylindrical-shaped support portion is secured tothe outer surface of the head supporting portion of the pillow. Thispillow is one-sided and can only be functional as intended by using thepillow with the neck and shoulder cylindrical-shaped support portionfacing the user.

FIG. 2 is the same alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 1, except thisversion of the invention is altered whereby a second neck and shouldercylindrical-shaped support portion is added to allow for a second user.In this embodiment, two users can use the one pillow at the same time.

FIG. 3 is a cross-section of the alternative embodiment depicted in FIG.1.

FIG. 4 is a cross section view of the preferred embodiment of theinvention. In the preferred embodiment, the neck and shouldercylindrical support portion is secured internally to the head supportingportion of the pillow. The neck and shoulder cylindrical-shaped supportportion is positioned near the lower edge of the base pillow, allowingfor ample room for the user's head to fit comfortably on the headsupporting portion of the invention. FIG. 4 is the invention cut in halfdepicting the inside of the pillow from the side point of view.

FIG. 5 is preferred embodiment of the invention shown from above, withthe neck and shoulder cylindrical-shaped support portion shown aspositioned inside the base pillow.

FIG. 6 is the preferred embodiment of the invention with the addition ofa second head and neck support portion to accommodate two users.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the alternative embodiment of the invention, the base pillow, shownin FIG. 1 as label 1, has a neck and shoulder supporting portion of thepillow, labeled as 2, secured to the base pillow, 1, whereby the usercan rest their head on the base pillow, while the neck and shouldersupporting portion, 2, contours to the anatomy of the user's neck andshoulders and adequately supports the neck and shoulders. The placementand shape of the neck and shoulder supporting portion of the pillow, 2,is the critical feature to the invention. This portion is constructed ofa material allowing compressibility while being denser and more firmthan the base section of the pillow, 1. The cylindrical shape of theneck and shoulder supporting section, 2, allows the pillow to conform tothe user's anatomy. The neck and shoulder supporting section, 2, alsoaligns the user's head on the base pillow, 1, so that the head, neck andshoulders of the user are positioned in a straight and comfortableposition promoting optimum health. Continued use of the preferredembodiment has been shown to promote comfortable and deep sleep.Although no medical evidence exists to prove any health benefitsassociated with the continued use of the invention in question, it hasbeen shown in limited circumstances and test use by the inventor to showan increase in over-all quality of sleep and reduction of ailmentsassociated with sleep such as snoring.

FIG. 2 depicts the alternative embodiment of the invention whereby twousers can utilize one pillow simultaneously. In this embodiment, twoseparate neck and shoulder portions exist, label 2 on FIG. 2, onesupport for each user. Additional neck and shoulder supports could beadded to accommodate additional users.

FIG. 3 is a cross-section of the alternative embodiment of the pillowdepicted in FIG. 1, showing the difference in density and firmness ofthe multiple sections of the invention. The neck and shoulder supportingsection, 2, is shown as comprised of a material of higher density and agreater firmness than the material used to comprise the remaining basesection, 1, of the pillow. The two portions, 1 and 2, are permanentlysecured to form a single unit.

FIG. 4 is a cross section of the preferred embodiment of the invention.In the preferred embodiment, the cylindrical shaped neck and shouldersupport portion of the invention, 2, is contained and permanentlysecured within the base pillow, 1. In this embodiment the pillow appearsat first glance to be an ordinary pillow. The benefits and uniquefeatures of the pillow are not apparent to the user until her or shetouches or lays on the pillow. This embodiment of the pillow can be usedon either side, but the upper and lower sections must remain properlyarranged so that the cylindrical-shaped neck and shoulder supportportion is aligned with the user's neck and shoulder in use. Theinvention must be arranged so that the user's head engages in the arelabeled as 5 in FIG. 4, with a smaller amount of cushioning materialpresent in area 4, between the cylindrical-shaped neck and shouldersupport portion of the pillow and the bottom edge of the pillow. Thesame or similar material is likely to be used to comprise areas 4 and 5,with the cylindrical-shaped neck and shoulder support portion of thepillow, 2, being comprised of a compressible material of higher densityand firmer to the touch.

FIG. 5 is the preferred embodiment of the invention from the top view.Prior to use, the pillow appears to be an ordinary pillow, since theneck and shoulder support portion, 2, in permanently secured inside thecovering of the base pillow, 1. The user's head engages the pillow inthe area labeled 5, thus aligning the user's neck and shoulder with thecylindrical-shaped neck and shoulder support portion of the pillow, 2.FIG. 6 is the preferred embodiment of the invention made for 2 users. Asecond cylindrical-shaped neck and shoulder support portion of thepillow, 2, is added. Each cylindrical-shaped neck and shoulder supportportion of the pillow can accommodate one user. The pillow can beconstructed with additional cylindrical-shaped neck and shoulder supportportions to accommodate additional users.

The relative size of the pillow can be scaled to accommodate any sizeuser. The pillow can be constructed to be as large or as small as neededto accommodate a large user or a small person. The material of thepillow can be any natural or synthetic compressible material,particularly materials that are commonly used in pillow construction.The firmness of the material in the fill of the base pillow, 1, and theneck and shoulder supporting section, 2, can be altered to accommodatethe personal comfort of individual users. The neck and shouldersupporting section, 2, will typically be constructed of a material ofgreater firmness than that of the base pillow, 1.

We claim:
 1. A pillow, comprised of a generally rectangular shaped bodyproportioned to a typical human user's anatomical features comprising: aneck and shoulder supporting portion comprising a generally cylindricalshape with a diameter sufficient to conform to the anatomy of thetypical human user comprised of a firm compressible material; a headsupporting portion comprising the entire width of the pillow and of alength sufficient to support the entire head of a typical human user,comprised of a compressible material of generally consistent thickness;whereby the neck and shoulder supporting portion and the head supportingportion are permanently secured together.
 2. The pillow of claim 1,wherein the neck and shoulder supporting portion is positioned withinthe pillow and secured to the head supporting portion of the pillow. 3.The pillow in claim 2, wherein the neck and shoulder supporting portionand the head supporting portion are comprised of one material
 3. Thepillow in claim 2, wherein the neck and shoulder supporting portion andthe head supporting portion are separate pieces and are permanentlysecured together.
 4. The pillow of claim 2, wherein the head supportingportion is elongated for a plurality of users and a plurality of neckand shoulder supporting portions are positioned to accommodate theplurality of users.
 5. The pillow of claim 1, wherein the neck andshoulder supporting portion is secured to the outer portion of the headsupporting portion of the pillow.
 6. The pillow in claim 5, wherein theneck and shoulder supporting portion and the head supporting portion arecomprised of one material
 7. The pillow in claim 5, wherein the neck andshoulder supporting portion and the head supporting portion are aseparate pieces and are permanently secured together.
 8. The pillow ofclaim 5, wherein the head supporting portion is elongated for aplurality of users and a plurality of neck and shoulder supportingportions are positioned to accommodate the plurality of users.